The Monster Among Us
by Yourfall
Summary: Times are now harder and it doesn't help that Eren has fallen ill. Isolated and in close quarters, it's only a matter of time before it spreads. Everyone's on edge; it doesn't help that Eren seems to be becoming feral either. Eren had been in control of his titan since the second breaching of the wall, right? Is it just the flu or something more dangerous? Starts at Manga Ch 51.
1. Chapter 1

**- Disclaimer -**

**I do not own or contribute anything to Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan). It belongs to the author Hajime Isayama, and is published by Kodansha. This story was written for fun, intending no harm or infringement. I highly encourage everyone to buy and read the manga to support the author! It is an amazing story.**

* * *

The worst part about field training was the weather, thought Eren moodily. It had been raining for what seemed like the whole week and it didn't look like it was letting up anytime soon. This left the small group in an unusually bad mood. Eren sighed, glancing at Corporal Levi's "new squad", which consisted of Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Historia, and Sasha. The brief look around confirmed that they were all as miserable as he was, minus the Corporal of course, who only seemed to have one available facial expression. The ride continued on in dismal silence, minus the occasional cough or sniffle.

After what seemed like hours of riding, the landscape gave way to an upward slope. Soon the trees died away and the small cabin known to the squad as their new, temporary home (officially "HQ") came into view. It didn't look like much, but the small cabin held three small bedrooms (complete with a total of three bunk beds, two single beds, and three dressers – everything adequately distributed), two showers, a kitchen, and a living room. The least liked component of the cabin was the outhouse in the back.

"Finally," muttered Jean, answered with quiet grunts of approval from Connie and Sasha.

Their joy was extinguished with a single, wordless glace over the Corporals shoulder; a sure sign that while the ride may _almost_ be over, it sure in the hell wasn't _finished_. With renewed hope, the squad rode on. As soon as the horses were untacked and stabled, the Corporal left to go washed up with the recruits following suit. Once inside and eventually showered, the relative dryness and warmth seeped slowly into the recruits, breathing life and conversation into them. _What a warm shower and clean clothes won't fix, _thought Eren.

"What a miserable fucking time," Jean grounded out, combing his hair.

"At least your horse didn't throw _you_," replied Connie. "I don't even know why we have to go out and ride in crappy weather. We can't even do anything until things settle down after… I mean, we're supposed to be in hiding," He hurriedly finished.

"Well, I suppose it's because the Corporal wants us to stay conditioned in case something were to happen," reasoned out Armin.

"I'm just glad to be back," breathed Eren, already anticipating dinner that was sure to be cooking in the next room over. Tonight was Sasha and Historia's night to make dinner, which meant that it was sure to be delicious.

As if summoned by pure want alone, the smell of baked potatoes and roasted vegetables slowly wafted into the room, stopping the quiet complaints and light banter, and quickening the pace of anyone with an olfactory sense. The day's hardships were completely forgotten by the time Mikasa knocked on the door, summoning the boys with a monotonous "Supper is ready." Eager for warm food, it seemed to Eren as though the parade of tired soldiers, led by Connie, moved a little too swiftly. Upon arriving at the table, each member of the squad was given a glance over by Corporal Levi, as if he was inspecting for a weakness or defect so he could quickly cull the herd. He was in fact plotting to kill something, it turned out, because once everyone was seated and had served themselves, he spoke.

"I hope you little monsters had fun today," he drawled, looking decidedly bored, "because we're doing the same regimen tomorrow. You're formations were sloppy and just generally appalling. It was disgusting. We're leaving at 0400. Prepare to be out until late midday. " Directing his gaze back to his plate, Levi began eating while everyone else at the table sat in horrified, stunned silence. The Corporal had successfully killed the ambiance of the room. Even Sasha sat in silence for a few seconds.

After a moderately quiet dinner, Levi stood and took his dish to the sink and stalked down to his room at the end of the hall. Once everyone had finished their meal, Eren and Armin began their rotation of dish duty while the others sat and talked of trivial things, such as the weather and today's training. Mikasa walked over and helped her boys with dishes while Jean, Sasha, Historia, and Connie tried to play a game of cards. The game did not last long however, as Connie tried to cheat and Jean tried to set him straight. Neither attempt fared well. Once finished with the dishes, it didn't take long for the fatigue of the day to catch up with Eren.

In such a small living space, everything – minus the outhouse – seemed like a group activity. Once one decided to call it a night and go to bed, the idea seemed to spread at an alarming rate. Within the hour, everyone was settling down into their rooms. The girls, Mikasa, Sasha, and Historia, wished the boys a good night and went into their room across the hall. Eren wished them a goodnight and headed straight for his bed.

"Good night Eren," said Armin, as he climbed to the top bed of their shared bunk. Eren was absolutely exhausted from the day. It seemed like a monumentus effort to wish Armin and their fellow roomies, Connie and Jean, a good night. As soon as his head was on his pillow, it seemed as though sleep would take him instantly. This, however, was not the case as Connie broke the tranquility. Classic Connie.

"I can't believe we have to go out and do that again tomorrow! With our luck, it will still be raining. This is going to suck so bad," stated Connie.

"Just suck it up. There is no way we're getting out of it anyway. The Corporal would rather be eaten by a titan than give us time to slack. With the cabin spotless, the only thing we can do is go outside," Jean said, cutting off Connie's short rant.

"Maybe we should just go outside and track mud in. The corporal will be so busy cleaning, we'll get to spend the morning dry and inside," joked Connie. Armin snorted sarcastically.

"You shouldn't joke about suicide, Connie. The Corporal might hear you," Eren whispered out, only half joking.

Jean laughed. Eren sneezed.

"Gesundheit."

"Thanks Armin," Eren said reflexively as he drifted off to sleep.

Eren awoke with a start, jolting awake instantly. He looked around hysterically, eyes wild and breathing heavy. All of his senses screamed _danger!_ He soon realized that he was still in his bed. He had had a nightmare, that much was certain. Eren could remember that it was gory and gruesome although he couldn't remember what it was about. He looked down at himself. He was tangled in his sheets, which were soaked with sweat. His heart was still hammering at his chest wall. He felt sluggish and sore. Accompanying the overall feel of malaise, he felt nauseas, hot, and dizzy. It was at that moment Eren realized he was sick.

"Ohhhh…" He groaned out quietly to himself, slightly nasal.

He sniffed to clear his nose. Eren figured he should try to clean himself up so Levi wouldn't see him looking like a mess. Starting the morning off (_or whenever it is,_ thought Eren gloomily) being berated usually doesn't forebode well. Eren stood, staggering slightly.

"Are you okay Eren?" Eren jumped. Armin was looking at him from the top bunk.

"Yeah, I'm fine Armin. Just gotta pee," Eren lied smoothly.

"I heard you moaning. You were growling in your sleep. I was about to wake you…You look pretty bad," Armin said with a concerned tone. He wasn't fooled.

"It was just a nightmare, Armin. I'm okay. Really. I'm just going to get a quick shower so the Corporal doesn't have an aneurism." Eren smiled reassuringly.

Armin still looked a bit suspicious. He was silent for a minute.

"Okay," he finally said. "Just hurry up, we leave in…" he glanced at the clock on the wall, "25 minutes."

"Okay. Thanks." Eren faked a smile. "Oh, and Armin…?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell Mikasa. You know how she gets."

The last thing Eren needed today was Mikasa hovering over him during training. Eren turned and hurried to the shower. The cool water felt nice; he relaxed a bit, still tense and uneasy from the nightmare. Distantly, Eren wondered what it was, or even if he wanted to know. He was probably just running a low fever. Taking a breath, he mentally prepared himself for the day. Despite feeling congested and slow he must have made great timing. He finished and was ready as the others were halfway through dressing. It was a small miracle that they weren't using the 3D Maneuver Gear today due to limited gas reserves. Eren hurried and made his bed as best he could for morning inspection. He'd have to change the sheets later and just pray Levi didn't notice.

"Soil yourself, Jaeger?" Sneered Jean.

"Fuck off Jean," Eren growled, gesturing at him rudely.

"Guys, it's still raining," moaned Connie, ignoring the banter between Jean and Eren. It was almost expected of them by now.

"It's not my fault you aren't litter trained," retorted Jean.

"The Corporal's coming!" Armin suddenly whispered frantically, hearing footsteps down the hall.

The fighting immediately ceased; they formed a line and stood in attention at the end of the room by the window, waiting for Levi to finish inspecting the girl's room. Brief orders were barked out once, and then footsteps approached the boys' door. Upon entering, the Corporal harshly scrutinized each of their beds and the overall state of the room (including but not limited to the floor, walls, corners, the window, and behind the door.) On a whole, today's inspecting wasn't bad, Connie only had to remake his bed once and Historia had to dust a corner. Yes, today's inspection wasn't bad at all…until it was Eren's turn, that is. Corporal Levi took one glance at Eren's bed. One hour and a flipped mattress with freshly washed sheets later, the squad had just set out on their recently tacked horses to the designated training area - breakfast-less, thanks to Eren.

It was true that Eren felt bad when he had awoken this morning. Saying he felt bad now was a huge understatement. Eren felt like a cold, bloated corpse, which probably wasn't far from the truth if Armin's occasional glance and Mikasa's stare was anything to go by. Whether Armin told Mikasa of Eren's little episode this morning or not, Eren was sure anyone could tell with a glance that he was in bad shape. Halfway to the training field the weather took a turn for the downright vicious and came down in torrents. Corporal Levi, not a completely heartless monster, decided to halt the squad and wait under the trees. From Eren's guess, they waited a short forever- close to an hour or so.

"All right maggots, let's continue on. The sooner we can get there, the sooner we can practice," Corporal Levi commanded without any trace of enthusiasm.

"At least the sun is coming up," Armin said hopefully to no one in particular. "Maybe it'll start warming up."

"I wouldn't hold my breath…" Jean added.

After another small eternity, they finally reached the lightly wooded meadow and began the first of numerous riding drills and formations. After two or so hours of jumping, cantering, and forming complex riding configurations, everyone was thoroughly soaked, cold, and miserable. The Corporal called a break. With sighs of relief, all of the squad members turned and began trotting to the clump of trees that the Corporal was stationed under, observing the riding drills. Eren could have passed out from relief. After four more paces of Eren's horse, he did in fact pass out from exhaustion.

"EREN!" He heard a female voice scream – probably Mikasa – and then everything faded to sweet, blissful darkness.

"Ugh…" Eren moaned, blinking his eyes open. He threw in another "Ugh." for good measure.

Something grasped his hand tightly. He knew it was Mikasa without even looking.

"Eren!" Mikasa breathed out, relieved. Eren turned his head toward her and smiled. He was in his bed with clean clothes on. Mikasa and Armin were sitting in chairs; they must have pulled them up to his bedside. Each wore a worried look.

"What happened?" He may as well get the obligatory question out of the way.

"You fainted from exhaustion," said Armin anxiously.

"You should have told the Corporal you weren't feeling well!" Mikasa reprimanded him.

Eren immediately went on the defensive "I'm fine!"

Mikasa shot him a look.

"Obviously not, brat." Levi corrected him from the doorway. He stepped across the room. "What an idiot. Need I remind you how important you are to humanity? Fucking dumbass. Next time you feel like being a fool, at least tell your fangirls here. Maybe Blondie will donate some brain cells."

Armin flinched. Eren had a feeling that he had gotten in trouble for not informing the Corporal that Eren was sick.

"I'm fine now, sir," Eren tried. For his efforts, Levi shot him a dirty look.

"Of course you are, Jaeger," Levi spat. "That's why I sent for Hanji. She'll be here in two days time, the freak. Now I have to put up with her because of your stupid ass." Levi finished, gave each of them a dirty look, and walked out.

Mikasa was still bristling while Armin had sat and taken it all in.

"You know," Armin said after awhile, "I think he's relieved you're okay."

Mikasa was still glaring at the empty space where the Corporal had stood.

"…He sent for Hanji?" Eren echoed. "I'm not bad; I just needed some rest was all! I'm fine now! Look!" Eren exclaimed, slightly hysterical. Oddly enough, Eren did feel better. Actually, he felt pretty good. Better than he had in a while. He probably just had a short lived bug or something. And it wasn't that Eren didn't like Hanji. She was a very interesting individual. It's just that Hanji was very…enthusiastic. She just creeped him out a bit was all, especially since he was sick. Who knew what she would want to do with him…examinations, experiments, or worse? He stopped thinking about it.

"You were looking pretty bad Eren," said Armin honestly, concerned for his friend.

Eren paused for a moment.

"So what actually happened after I fell off of my horse?" Eren question, mildly curious.

"After you fainted…" corrected Mikasa, still full of concern for Eren and anger at the Corporal.

Eren rolled his eyes and grimaced.

"The Corporal rushed over." Armin interjected before an argument could take place. "He and Mikasa hoisted you onto his horse. He ordered Jean to ride to the Scouting Legions' castle and bring Hanji immediately. Then he ordered everyone back to the cabin." he concluded. "We made great time." he added, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"We were all worried about you Eren," Mikasa said while still holding Eren's hand (he was trying desperately to let go.)

Eren grimaced. The troubled expression suddenly lifted however, as he started to chuckle.

"What is it, Eren?" Miskasa asked, startled.

"I bet Jean was pissed he had to ride all the way to the castle in the rain," Eren giggled out. He felt slightly guilty afterwards.

All things considered there was a silver lining - on the bright side, at least he had gotten them out of training. He glanced at the small window. It looked as though it was already getting dark.

"What time is it?" Eren question, realizing he had no idea how long he had been out for.

"Oh! You missed dinner," Armin cried suddenly remembering. "I'll grab you a bowl. Connie and Sasha made potato soup from last night's leftovers." He must have seen Eren's look because he quickly added "She offered to cover for me tonight so I could be here in case you woke up. The Corporal didn't mind." Armin hurried out.

As nice as the gesture was, Eren's good health did a double take as soon as food was mentioned. He could practically feel his stomach tie itself into a knot.

"Eren," Mikasa said quietly.

He looked at her.

"I'm glad you're okay," She finished.

"C'mon Mikasa, you know I'm tougher than that," he smiled.

For as strong and capable as she was, it was easy for him to forget how fragile she could be when it came to him. They were family.

"Here it is," Armin happily declared, walking in proudly with the soup. "Everyone says 'hello'."

If thinking about food made Eren queasy, then seeing and smelling what Armin had in his hands was almost enough to make him vomit.

"I think I'll pass for now," Eren excused himself. "Where is everyone, anyway?" Eren tried, quickly avoiding the subject.

"Levi ordered everyone to keep a distance in case whatever you have is contagious. He looked like he wanted to scrub his skin off after we got you back. It didn't help that you were covered in mud," Armin said with a trace of humor at the end.

Mikasa, however, wasn't having any of it. It would take more than a topic change to throw her off.

"Eren. You haven't eaten since last night. You need to keep your strength up. You're ill!"

"Mika-" She roughly shoved a spoon full of soup into his mouth. Eren choked it down, but just barely.

"Please Eren," Mikasa ordered.

"Mikasa, I-" She did it again. Surprisingly, he didn't choke this time.

"MIKASA!" He grabbed her hand. "You can't just-" Eren abruptly stopped.

Something was wrong. _Oh. Oh no_. Eren threw of his covers and jumped to his feet. He attempted to run to the shower room but vertigo reached him first. Eren staggered and stumbled. Mikasa, already on her feet grasped Eren to steady him. Quickly thinking, Armin grabbed a handful of Eren's sheets and yanked them over to him.

"EREN!" Armin yelled. Eren didn't need to be told twice. He turned on the spot and vomited on his recently washed sheets.

"Ugh," Eren moaned.

"Ugh," Levi lamented, once again in the doorway. "Jaeger, your poor, disgusting sheets."

"Sorry sir," Eren choked out.

"Just. Just clean it up Jaeger," Levi said, once again walking away from that particular room disgusted.

"We'll get it Eren," Mikasa said.

Armin nodded in agreement.

Eren had the best friends and family any guy could ask for, he concluded to himself in the shower. Armin was getting him clean clothes while Mikasa was tending to Eren's sheets. Man, he could not wait for today to be over.

It was unanimously agreed upon that Eren should stay in the boys' room alone tonight. No one wanted Eren's puke germs. Connie said he would be fine on the living room couch. Armin offered that he didn't mind staying in the room with Eren since he was probably already exposed anyway. Levi agreed to all terms so long as he didn't have to go anywhere Eren or the room. Eren was okay with all of this. While he had felt fine after awaking from the "little" incident from earlier, puking seemed to have drained him, never mind the fact that he had slept for roughly eight hours already; he felt tired. After his untimely sickness and the resulting shower, Eren decided it was time for bed. On the way down the hall to his room, he wished everyone a good night and went to bed. He noticed the wide berth everyone had given him. Armin followed Eren's lead and soon the two boys were in bed and comfy.

As they were getting cozy in their beds, there was an unexpected knock at the door. The Corporal stuck his head through the door.

"Eren. Don't die tonight. I can't even imagine the paperwork I'd have to do; not to mention Hanji is coming. I'll be damned if she's here for no reason. Besides, choking on your own vomit is the most disgusting way to go. Armin, I'm holding you accountable." As a hesitant afterthought, he hastily added a swift "Good night," and as quickly as he appeared, he was gone.

If Armin hadn't been there to witness this oddity Eren would never have believed it had happened at all.

"Well. That was nice of him," said Armin, a bit flabbergasted himself.

A simple "Wow," was all Eren could muster. "G'night Armin."

"Good night Eren."

Normally, emotions were welcomed from the Corporal but this was bad. For him to threaten Eren with life, he must be worried. Eren felt a distinct thread of fear in him. This was not good. Judging from subtle idiosyncrasies from Armin, he was worried more than normal as well. Pushing the feeling away, Eren tried to focus on something peaceful (which wasn't his strong suit). He didn't need nightmares again tonight.

Just as Eren was surrendering to sleep the door cracked open. It was Mikasa. She walked over to the spare bottom bunk bed with her own spare blanket and pillow.

"Mikasa!" Eren whispered urgently. "What are you doing in here? You'll get in trouble if the Corporal sees you."

She snorted "Well, he'll just have to come in and get me then, won't he?"

Eren rolled his eyes and then smiled. Family. Armin smiled from his top bunk.

"Good night Eren. I hope you feel better," she said softly.

"Good night Mikasa," he replied.

As far as nights go, it hadn't been Eren's best but it wasn't bad enough to rival the night before. Eren only had one nightmare. It was hazy, but Eren could recall the intense, gnawing hunger. It wasn't peculiar in itself that he had dream about food, not having eaten anything in the last 32 hours. It was also expected that his feverish state would warp and twist his dreams into something horrible. _Oh well, what can you do?_ Eren sweated about the same amount, causing another shower to be had. Amin and Mikasa had helped every step of the way, of course. It was now five thirty a.m. and the trio was fully awake when Corporal Levi graced them with his presence.

"And just how did I know you'd be in here, Mother Hen?" He scoffed. "It's bad enough if Eren _AND _the tactician dies, now the prodigy wants to act reckless as well? Breakfast is in 30. Wash your hands, and for the love of all things clean, don't contaminate any more of my soldiers. Jaeger stays in the room." He growled out.

Mikasa was practically snarling.

"It's fine. I don't want anyone to get sick because of me," Eren said, trying to sound thoughtful and not the least bit successful. "I'd prefer if you two head out anyway and get some fresh air. I'm going to try to get some sleep until breakfast." The two exchanged a glance and reluctantly agreed. Eren was thankful. He felt as though he needed some alone time to think.

The thought of breakfast completely and totally nauseated him yet he was utterly starving. Being sick was the worst. The oddest part of all was that he felt perfectly fine, no nasal congestion, no temperature, he wasn't dizzy, and he wasn't sore. Eren must have let his mind wonder a bit too far. Before he knew it, Mikasa was bringing in a plate of one egg over easy and a small piece of toast. Eren was hungry but as soon as he saw the toast he wanted to hurl again (into the bucket that had been placed by his after last nights' accident). Mikasa must have seen his reaction to the food before he could hide it.

"Please." she begged.

It made sense that he should really eat something, but why did it have to be so hard? Eren reluctantly yielded to Mikasa's pleas. He tried the egg, which seemed like the lesser of two evils. It seemed to take forever but Eren gagged the pieces down. He felt nauseas again. Though Mikasa tried to cheer him on, he wasn't touching the toast.

"I'm done," Eren proclaimed. "I'm going to lay back down again, Mikasa." _Why was he so tired?_ "I'll be up in a bit. This breakfast is probably all I needed," he smiled, though neither of them believed it.

Mikasa looked at him, worry engraved on her face. She grabbed his plate and left. Eren vaguely noted that the sun was beginning to come out; it had finally stopped raining. Without much effort, Eren fell into a restless sleep full of tossing and turning. He dreamt of a wild, snarling, hungry thing - something that plagued him and howled and cried. It was such a bone-chilling, ravenous call.

Eren rapidly blinked awake. Thankfully, he wasn't drenched in sweat – just slightly damp. Unfortunately, he gagged, leaned over the bed, and threw up the egg and possibly his liver and/or other crucial organs. Mikasa and Armin rushed in for support.

After everything had settled, Eren noticed recently picked flowers in a small jar of water by his bed.

"Historia." Mikasa answered. "It's nice outside; everyone is out there."

"Oh," Eren said, crestfallen.

"We asked the Corporal if you could come out and get some fresh air if you felt up to it," Armin added. "He said as long as you don't breath, touch, or sneeze on anything, it would be okay for a little while."

Eren beamed. He was delighted. With a little effort and support from Mikasa, he stood. He felt well enough to walk, although it seemed taxing. The first steps outside seemed miraculous. He immediately felt his spirits lift. The rest of the squad was outside. It was nice to see them again.

"Well look who decided to show!" Connie called, getting the others attention.

"Eren! Did you see my flowers?" asked Historia.

"Flowers?! What about him barfing up my soup? It wasn't that bad," cried Sasha.

"Enough chatter. This isn't a Sunday social," said Levi. "This garden isn't going to hoe itself. Back to work, brats."

At once, the chatter quieted and the three in the "soon-to-be-garden" began toiling in the mud once more.

"Eren, sit. Mikasa! Armin! Start hauling water buckets and manure from the stables over near the garden. You two aren't on death row yet so at least make yourselves useful while you can," Corporal ordered.

The three split and did as they were told. Eren walked over and sat on the opposite end of the picnic table from the Corporal. He couldn't help but notice the Corporal scoot slightly closer to the end farthest from Eren.

"So. You seem to be managing," the Corporal stated.

"Yes sir!" Eren practically shouted. "I even ate a little this morning."

"Oh? You want a medal for feeding yourself?" Levi bit out.

"No sir, just making progress is all," Eren hurriedly added.

"I see. Keep up the good _work_ Jaeger."

For the majority of the time, the two sat in mostly comfortable silence, with Levi occasionally critiquing the rest of the groups' work ethic. It was now 3:30 p.m. and the new garden was nearly finished. All that was needed was for the seeds to be planted in the pre-dug holes. Eren had grown bored of sitting and decided to stretch his legs. He walked closer to the garden fence. He felt content to just stand and watch. As the seed-sowing finished, Connie tripped and fell face first in the dirt on the way to the small shed. Sasha laughed while Historia immediately went to help pick him up. Mikasa stood stoically and smiled and Armin was trying (and failing) to hold back laughter while Levi looked like he was torn between throwing up or showering in place of Connie. Eren himself had joined Sasha in hysterics.

While Historia helped Connie up, he was frantically brushing himself off when he looked at his left hand and noticed red. He had accidently cut his hand on a small hand shovel. Historia tore a strip of her shirt and wrapped the medium seized gash with the mostly clean bandage. She applied pressure while Corporal Levi left to get the first aid kit. He wouldn't let Connie in the cabin while dripping blood. When the corporal returned and began cleaning the wound, the teens seemed to be drawn in like moths to the flame. They gathered around to watch the Corporal work. He, like always, didn't seem to care.

"Eww, cool. Connie, look at that clot," Sasha said. "It looks so gross."

"Thanks Sasha. Thanks a lot," Connie sarcastically retorted.

"It's so red," noted Historia in a concerned tone.

"It smells good," Eren added hungrily.

Everyone seemed to pause at the last comment, faces blank. Slowly, gazes lifted to Eren's face, searching for any sign of humor. Even the Corporal stared, Connie's hand forgotten. There was no humor to be found on Eren's face. It took him a minute longer than the rest to realize the words that had tumbled out of his mouth. Too late. Eren looked around, and then lowered his gaze to stare at the hand intently. Eren felt terrified. Not only did he say something completely unacceptable, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the limb in front of him. He couldn't stop thinking of how delicious the hand looked. He couldn't stop drooling. He couldn't stop thinking that it had been a very, very long time since he had eaten.

"Eren."

Eren's head snapped back as if it had been jerked. It was Levi. Corporal Levi. He was using the tone that he had reserved for dangerous situations. Eren's stomach dropped; it was an unsafe situation.

"Armin. Mikasa. Why don't you two escort Eren back to his room, I'll be in shortly." It wasn't a question. His tone was one of authority demanding to be obeyed. Erin turned away from the picnic table, a task harder than it should have been, and walked as briskly as he could back to his room with Armin and Mikasa in tow close behind.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone! This story idea would not leave me alone!**

**I am a new author and I really would appreciate some critiquing - How was the pacing? Too much/little description. Were the characters in-character and were they constant? Good phrasing and grammer, ect.**

**I'm hoping to really fine tune my (as-of-now) poor writing skills. This is the first thing I have ever written and I am very proud of myself. I hope you all enjoy it and I hope to post the next chapter soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**- Disclaimer -**

**I do not own or contribute anything to Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan). It belongs to the author Hajime Isayama, and is published by Kodansha. This story was written for fun, intending no harm or infringement. I highly encourage everyone to buy and read the manga to support the author! It is an amazing story!**

* * *

The trio had reached the boys' room (their temporary sick quarters) what felt like hours ago. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion for Eren, as though he were moving through a dream. The shocked faces of his friends flashed before him repeatedly. The scene at the picnic table kept replaying itself in his mind. His stomach growled. Nervous eyes flashed to him.

Armin and Mikasa had been silent for the most part, occasionally casting glances at him. Mikasa, as usual, was stoic. Armin, on the other hand, was having a harder time looking at Eren. His posture was stiff and uncomfortable looking. Worry was plastered over his face with subtle traces of doubt occasionally breaking through. There was palpable uncertainty in the room, which now seemed much smaller to Eren.

The door suddenly opened and Corporal Levi entered the room. He stood for a moment, looking, as if to find an answer to a particularly hard question broadcasted on one of the teens' faces.

"Alright. You two, outside with the others. Stay in the front yard. I'll be out shortly," Levi commanded.

"-If you touch him…" Mikasa growled, voice sounding strained and uneven.

"It would be unwise to threaten a senior officer, Ackerman." Levi rose to her challenge.

"Mikasa, go. I'll be okay," Eren suddenly spoke. He was 60% confident that Levi wouldn't kill him and he was beginning to lose patience for the whole situation.

"Come on, Mikasa," Armin offered, grabbing her hand and leading her out. She kept her eyes locked with the Corporal's as she passed.

"And not a word to anyone," Levi muttered.

After hearing the front door close signaling their exit from the building, Levi sighed heavily. Without a word he crossed the room and sat on the bunk next to Eren. As Eren watched him, he noted that Levi looked old beyond his years, and so very, very tired.

"You have quite the guard dog there, Eren." Levi noted.

"Sir."

Eren could feel Levi looking at him intently so he turned his head and met his gaze.

"What happened? Start from the beginning. I have a haunch that this isn't just a cold, unless you were playing some hilarious prank and your acting skills have drastically improved."

"It wasn't a prank, sir."

"Good, because then I really would have to kill you."

"It started about three days ago when we started doing drills. I thought I had just caught a cold. I started feeling worn down by the end of the day, like after I come out of my titan. I thought it was just from training while being sick. I kept feeling worse and worse, and before I knew it I collapsed while practicing drills yesterday and woke up here, starving but not able to keep anything down besides water. I feel okay now though. I just haven't been sleeping well. I was just a little delirious out there with Connie is all," Eren stated confidently. He was just sick, starved, and overheated. He wanted to eat real food, not his team mates, he thought to himself. His stomach rumbled once again and he could feel the embarrassed blush grow on his face.

The Corporal raised a brow, giving him a skeptical look. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Eren's face and forehead. "Why haven't you been sleeping well?"He pulled away as quick as he had reached out.

"A small fever, sir."

Levi gave him a leveled look.

Eren had always been reluctant to share his nightmares. Teenagers' facing impossible odds; watching friends and fellow humans being devoured was bound to leave a few mental scars he figured. There was no sense in whining about it. It was a hard life in the Survey Corps. Everyone had nightmares. Everyone knew.

These nightmares were different. They weren't about the things he was afraid _of_, Eren realized. They were about the thing he could _become_. It could be so easy… As much as Eren didn't want to tell Levi out of fear for what would happen to him, he knew he had to because of the fear about what could happen to everyone else.

"I'm having nightmares, sir," Eren began. He had just started and he already felt his courage starting to leave him. He was sounding so stupid in front of the Corporal!

Before he could lose his nerve, Eren babbled out "Not the usual. I think they're about my titan; about me. I've felt starving before, sir, but this, this is different."

His confession was met with silence. He hadn't felt this judged since the court trial. Thankfully, Levi had one of- if not the best, poker face of anyone Eren knew.

"I think I'm starting to lose it, Levi," Eren said, voice trembling in defeat.

The Corporal kept his neutral stare; blinked once, twice, and sighed.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Eren. This is all new to us. We're kind of writing the book here. Hanji will be here tomorrow morning, she'll be able to tell us more about whatever the fuck is wrong with you…besides the usual," Levi started in a completely nonplused tone.

Eren didn't know what he expected by pouring his heart out to Levi, but this seemed a little like under reacting.

"…Until then," Levi continued, "We're gonna have a little sleepover tonight in the barn. Just me and you. We can do our nails and maybe even braid each others' hair."

The Corporal then smiled. This smile was not happy or funny. It was dripping with sarcasm and a dark, malicious humor. Eren almost peed himself right then and there.

"Uh. Sir?"

The Corporal stood and was beginning to walk out the door.

"Sit, Jaeger," Levi ordered, as if he were talking to a dog.

Eren soon heard water running for a short time, then stop. Levi suddenly breezed back into the room with a bucket and proceeded to splash the bucket of ice cold water onto Eren and thus, the surrounding area. Eren yelped in shock and was on his feet in an instant. He stood, mind blank.

"I want you to clean up this mess while you cool down and stop steaming," Levi instructed.

Eren looked down at himself and gasped silently. _Had he really been steaming this whole time_?

"Then," Levi resumed, "I want you to come outside and mingle with your team. Reassure them you are you and that you don't want to eat them. Make it convincing, Eren. I'm sure Armin and Mikasa ran interference and kept them calm so it shouldn't be too hard, even for you. We're _the_ elite team; we work in tune and effectively. That can't happen if they think you want to chew their flesh off. Besides, they're your friends and I think you're going to need them before this is all over."

Levi looked satisfied with his pep-talk (?) and left the room, heading outside to most likely finish defusing the situation.

Still slightly stunned, Eren stiffly began removing his once-again, unusable sheets. He was going to need a mop.

Cleaning took longer than expected. This was probably due to the fact that it was a solo job. The Corporal had kept Armin and Mikasa outside with the others. Eren was a thankful. While some help was nice, the overbearing as of late was starting to wear on him and get old, fast. By the time he was finished, it was a little past five.

Eren stood in the door way before exiting. He was giving himself a pep-talk that was similar to Levi's, but much more compassionate with biased understanding. After taking a moment to adjust his courage, Eren turned the knob and pushed himself outside. To his surprise, there was an absence of shocked gasps and startled looks. Everyone did look up and note his presence, but it was normal. As he approached, he noted that they looked slightly jumpy but that was about the extent of things.

"Are you feeling any better since this morning?" Historia asked sweetly while patting the seat between herself and Connie.

"Uh, yea. I feel a lot better since yesterday." Eren didn't know if that was a lie, but it sure did feel like one.

"We're keeping you in our thoughts."

"Aw, dude. Eren will be fine. He's the most durable out of all of us," Connie chimed in.

"I'm more worried about the garden. I'll kick myself if it all dies because the ground is too wet and the seeds drown." Sasha sounded crestfallen.

"I think they'll be okay," Historia replied, smiling.

"Um. Where is the Corporal?" Eren asked shyly.

"He disappeared into the barn a while ago," Armin replied.

_Oh._

"Maybe he got kicked," said Mikasa, slightly hopeful.

"Mikasa." Armin scolded.

She made a poor attempt to look remorseful and failed spectacularly.

Sasha looked thoughtful for a second. "Speaking of the barn, you don't think the Corporal would let us…"

"NO." Everyone sternly resounded.

"I'm just saying that something other than potatoes and vegetables would be very appreciated." Sasha attempted to defend herself.

"How could you even think of doing that? They've carried us through thick and thin!" Historia gently scolded.

Sasha shrugged.

Connie decided to change subjects. "Speaking of which, Jean should be back tomorrow morning," he said enthusiastically.

"I hope he's doing well," Historia included.

"He's going to be so tired. I wonder if the Corporal will give him the day off?" Sasha asked.

"Doubt it. The one bad thing about the nice weather is all the physical training we're going to have to do." Connie groaned.

Armin smiled and sighed, "You can find anything to complain about, Connie."

"Nu-uh. If that we're true, I'd be complaining that no one is cooking dinner right now after the all the work we did today."

"No. You're not complaining because it's the Corporals turn to cook tonight," Historia joined in.

Everyone laughed.

"Who's complaining?"

Eren jerked, bumping into Connie, as they all turned to face the house. Levi was standing in the doorway with his usual expression. He was wearing his cooking apron.

"No one, sir!" Connie blurted out.

"Mm-hmm." Levi said, raising an eyebrow. "Dinner is ready. Springer gets served last."

As soon as Levi turned and walked back in the house, the teens erupted into laughter as they made their way inside.

"I didn't even see him go inside!" Armin murmured to Eren.

"It's scary." Connie added.

Eren was dreading going into the kitchen. He didn't want to eat. He didn't want to throw up. He just wanted to feel better. He felt a headache coming on. As the troop made their way to the table, Eren noticed that his place wasn't set. Sweet relief washed over him.

"Sir?' Eren reluctantly questioned.

"I don't want you barfing all over your bed again. I don't know how many more times those blankets can be washed without falling apart."

Eren hid his smile. He mentally thanked the Corporal.

"Just sit and enjoy the company, Jaeger."

"Screw the company! We're having chicken!" Sasha practically screamed. She was drooling.

True to her word, Eren looked and noticed that chicken was for dinner. Two in fact (plus some vegetables no one really noticed). It must be a special occasion. On that note from the Sasha, everyone began eating, soon forgetting about Eren's inability.

Supper passed without trouble. The evening was relaxed and everyone seemed to be enjoying each other's company, forgetting about the oddities of the day. Eren could have been completely at peace if he wasn't starving. He honestly had no idea how long he could keep going like this.

Nearing 9 o'clock, the Corporal announced that curfew was early tonight. He then told Eren to grab his blankets and pillow. When numerous pairs of questioning eyes looked to him, the Corporal stated in a matter of fact way that he and Eren were "having a sleepover in the barn and were not to be disturbed"; leaving no room for questions. He ordered everyone to bed.

Eren chose at that moment to die of embarrassment. Anatomy, however, is a fickle thing. Forced to endure his humiliation, he walked to his room, grabbed what he needed, and walked as fast as possible to the door. While fetching his things everyone wished him a dubious "Good night," and continued on their way. He was almost out of the door when Mikasa intercepted him. She bid him a passionate farewell while simultaneously putting a kitchen knife in his pillowcase and walked away before he could protest. Continuing his walk of shame, Eren hurried to the barn. He couldn't believe he was actually eager to see Hanji tomorrow. He just wanted to be all of this to be over.

Upon entering the barn, Eren could see what Levi had been up to. He had made a small make shift bed out of clean hay against the back wall. Eren figured this was his bed for the night. The Corporal must be planning to keep an all-night watch. Eren walked to the back and began adding the final touches to his improvised "bed". Eren had just finished making the best of the situation when he heard Levi approaching.

"Oh, good. You found it."

"Yes, sir…Uh?"

"Yes Eren?" Levi asked, uninterested while pulling a container out of his bag.

"You really don't have to stay out here with me…in the dirt and stuff," Eren said hesitantly.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Levi grimaced.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet, Jaeger. Here."

Levi handed Eren the container, grimacing. As soon as it had left his hands, Levi pulled out what appeared to be a wet rag and furiously wiped his hands. This made Eren very nervous.

Cautiously, Eren opened the container as if expecting it to blow up in his face. On the contrary, it may have been the best thing Eren had ever laid eyes on. In the container, there was a chunk of chicken from supper. Specifically, it was a chunk of raw chicken. Eren told himself that he should feel sick for even thinking about eating raw meat but instinct was instinct. He reluctantly looked up at the Corporal who was scrutinizing his every movement.

"Interesting," the Corporal said quietly with a type of disgusted fascination.

"Well, go ahead. I'm only going to judge you a little bit here at our twisted little slumber party." Levi grimaced. That was as much as a go ahead as Eren was going to get, and it was all he needed.

Eren tore into the glob of meat like a starving dog. In all honesty, he wasn't very far from one. Eren concluded that the virus, or cold, or whatever disease he had contracted must have fried his brain because raw chicken tasted absolutely delicious. In a matter of minutes, all of the chicken was gone. Eren was still hungry but he felt hundreds of times better. He was in the process of licking his fingers clean when he happened to look up and catch the Corporal's eye. Eren didn't like the look on his face. It appeared to be a macabre mixture of disgust (obviously), disappointment, and a grim realization. Eren decide that, even though raw chicken was amazing, he would stop his decent and ask for a clean rag to wipe his hands on.

"Do you have another rag, sir?"

"Good idea, Jaeger," Levi drawled, traces of revulsion still on his face.

Levi handed him a separate rag and walked to the opposite corner of the barn and pulled out a much larger bag. Eren then felt the gravity of the situation.

"I'm sorry." Eren apologized. _What was happening to him?_

"Forget about it," Levi grunted as he hauled the bag over toward the entrance and opened it up. It was his 3D MG Eren realized with a growing sense of horror.

Levi must have sensed him tense and glanced up.

"Don't worry, idiot. This is just a precaution."

Eren wasn't convinced. "You think I'm going to turn into a titan tonight?" he questioned sadly.

"I. Have. No. Idea. - This. Is. A. - P.R.E.C.A.U.T.I.O.N." Levi spelled out deliberately. He hesitated for a seconded and stated "Probably."

Well, at least you can count on him to be honest. He did, however, feel bleak relief in knowing that at least Levi would be able to make the hard decisions and be able to protect himself and the others.

Levi sighed. "Eren. You and your stupid basement are the best weapons we have in this whole fucked up mess. I'm not going to kill you unless I absolutely must. _If_ I kill you, it sure in the hell won't be because of some night terrors and sleepwalking. _Trust me_. Just lie down and try to sleep. Enjoy being full. I'm not killing any more chickens for you." Brash and blunt as it was, Eren did feel comforted. He was satisfied with Levi's answer. After all he had been through, all that had happened, he did trust Levi.

Eren wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep. All he knew was that his dream was peaceful tonight. An alien thought drifted in from somewhere far away and whispered that he was getting better; that his nightmares were finally over. Content, Eren continued to dream- and in the dream, he was happy and full.

That's about the time that the distant screaming began. Eren wasn't sure when it had begun, but it was now slowly rising to a crescendo. Everything began to tremble and shake. The hard won reprieve of sleep was shattered. Whoever was screaming needed to take a chill pill and shut the hell up.

Eren opened his eyes. It was morning. Mikasa was leaning over him, shaking him and calling his name. Armin was peaking over her shoulder. Judging from their expressions, something was terribly wrong. Eren blinked a few times, looking around.

"Wha…?"

Mikasa instantly let go of him.

"Eren? Are you okay? How do you feel?" Armin instantly questioned.

"Fine, but what happened? Where am I?"

Eren recognized that he was outside but that was the extent of his perception at this very moment.

"We're in the back yard." Mikasa said. She and Armin exchanged a glance.

Eren, now fully alert, tried to sit up. Mikasa held him down.

"What do you remember?"

He grabbed her wrists.

"_Oh no_. What happened?!" Eren demanded mortified. They both looked away.

"Armin! Mikasa! What happened? Where's Levi? Where's Connie? Historia? Where is everyone?" Eren was practically shouting now. Memories for the night before rushed back to him with alarming speed. He remembered talking to Levi and the group. He remembered dinner, the barn, and the chicken. He felt panicked; nothing good had happened, he knew.

"It's okay Eren. No one was hurt." Mikasa consoled him softly. She now helped him sit up.

"Well, you and Levi went down to the barn for your', eh, sleepover," Armin began. "I think he wanted to keep an eye on you while keeping everyone…out of the way." Eren could tell that Armin was choosing his words very carefully. "The next thing we knew there was a lot of noise coming from outside. Everyone was up and out of bed, running to see what happened. You must have changed in your sleep," he paused. "The barn is mostly destroyed. Levi already had his Maneuver Gear on and was taking care of…the situation," he finished awkwardly.

"And I didn't hurt anyone?" Eren implored, just to reassure himself.

Mikasa shook her head.

"…Eren," Armin reluctantly started. He was silenced by Mikasa's look.

"He's going to find out sooner or later. Better we tell him…" Armin reasoned.

"Guys?"

Mikasa was silent for a moment. She nodded. Quietly, she said "You ate two of the horses."

Eren was stunned. What do you say to that? A million things were flying through his head but the only question his mind could produce was "Huh?"

"I'm going up to tell the Corporal that he is awake and okay." Armin said, standing.

Eren tried to stand as well.

"The Corporal said you were to stay back here. It's…messy up there. Everyone is a little jittery," Mikasa said hesitantly.

"They're afraid of me?" Eren read between the lines. He didn't know why he felt so surprised. He felt the same.

"Eren. We're you're family. We will always be here for each other. They just need time," Mikasa said.

Eren suddenly recalled Levi's advice. He was going to need his friends before this was over. He made up his mind. "I'm going up to apologize and help clean up _my_ mess."

Eren put his stubborn-determined face on. There was no dissuading him. Armin and Mikasa shared another look – this one less tense, and unenthusiastically consented to his demand. Eren was going to make this right, somehow.

Saying you were going to make something right and actually doing it are two completely different things. As they began their trek around the house, Eren was nervous. He was afraid to see his friends' faces. Would they accuse him? Fear him? Probably, if they didn't already. He was thankful that he had Armin and Mikasa at his sides.

"Just a heads up," Armin spoke suddenly. "When we said you ate two horses, you really only ate one and a half before Levi could cut you out. Just…be ready. It's a little…messy," he concluded tentatively, borrowing Mikasa's word.

Eren stopped walking. "I didn't _try_ to hurt anyone, did I?"

"No, you were pretty preoccupied with the horses," Armin answered truthfully. "To be honest, I'm glad they we're there," said Armin solemnly.

The small group continued their walk around the house. Upon reaching the front yard, he really wished he would've taken heed and stayed there. Blood and innards of presumably equine origin were skewed in bits across the yard. Eren caught a glimpse of a piece hanging off the roof. Near the shattered remains of the once barn, the back half of a horse lay in the enormous hand of a greatly reduced pile of steaming titan flesh. Historia, Sasha, Connie and Levi were scattered across the yard, picking up pieces of horse and putting them into either of two wheelbarrows. As the three rounded the corner, four pairs of eyes looked up to them. Thankfully, this awkward reception was quickly interrupted by the arrival of two new riders into the yard. Jean and Hanji had arrived.

* * *

**A/N: Whew. Finally wrote it. I had a general idea where I wanted this chapter to go but the details were a bit tricky. Also forgive me, I only got to proof read this once over, very hurriedly.**

**If you guys have any interesting ideas or theories about this story or SnK in general, P.M. me or leave it in the comments :)**

** I hope to get the next chapter up soon-ish but who knows? It's finals week and I'm blowing off studying to write this :S If I don't post soon, Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!**

**As always, please R&R. Is everyone in character? Grammar mistakes? Does the story flow or is the pace giving you motion sickness? Continuity? Any advice is appreciated.**


End file.
